Lurgan man (20) spent Christmas in prison after kicking his dad's door, Craigavon court hears

Caolan O’Neill, from Belvedere Manor, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court via video link from Hydebank Prison charged with criminal damage.

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O’Neill, who previously pleaded guilty to the charge, asked, via his solicitor, to have the matter dealt with rather than await a pre-sentence report.

The court heard police were called to a domestic incident on November 3 last year. On arrival police were told the injured party’s son had damaged the front door by kicking it. O’Neill’s dad believed his son was under the influence of drink or drugs.

The court was told O’Neill had been remanded into custody on December 7 and served almost a month in prison. His solicitor explained: “The injured party is in court today. It’s his father and he is fully supportive of Mr O’Neill.

"He informs me that Mr O’Neill has paid for the damage to the door,” said the solicitor, adding that until 2023 his client had never come to the attention of the police.

"He had been struggling with his mental health for some time. It transpires he has autism and ADHD which until last year had gone undiagnosed. The majority of his offending was in a domestic setting.

"His parents were unaware of the full extent of the mental health issues their son was experiencing and therefore didn’t know how best to deal with him,” he said, adding they have “somewhat got a handle on it” and he has been out of trouble for some time.

"I am told he is seeking help for his addiction issues with drugs and alcohol. Hopefully he will be engaging with Trasna House on his release. He was in employment but that has been lost because he spent a month in custody,” said the solicitor.

District Judge White imposed two months in jail suspended for 12 months.

“It’s up to you to seek the help you need and stay out of trouble,” he told the defendant.